Tillage Reduction Rumble: Crimped Rye vs. Clover Living Mulch...Showdown for the Environmental and Economic Crown

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Commodities

• Agronomic: clovers, rye, sunflower

Practices

• Crop Production: cover crops, no-till
• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, participatory research
• Production Systems: organic agriculture
• Soil Management: soil quality/health

Many organic farmers face internal and external pressures to reduce tillage, but systems for accomplishing this at scale are still poorly understood. Crimped cereal rye (CR) is the best-known, most widely used system, but establishment timing, biomass variability, termination timing, cooler soils, N tie-up, managing residue with no-till equipment, and controlling weed emergence are all significant barriers to adoption. Momentum Ag is currently trialing an alternative, the Clover Living Mulch System (CLMS). CLMS addresses these concerns, but introduces another hurdle: managing clover/cash crop competition. The three farmers involved in this SARE Partnership proposal all grow organic grains, pulses, and vegetables at scale. They want to trial CR and CLMS side-by-side, along with a novel hybrid system that combines crimped rye and clover. These trials aim to evaluate the agronomic and economic implications of each system, measuring tractor passes, crop yields, and soil health. In collaboration with Momentum Ag, the farmers will generate comprehensive, photo-documented individual case studies and collective insights from their experiments. With their strong ties to local farming networks, they are well-positioned to disseminate findings widely and engage stakeholders effectively.

This project seeks to compare three organic tillage reduction systems: Crimped Rye (CR), Clover Living Mulch System (CLMS), and Crimped Rye & Clover (CR&C). These systems will be compared and contrasted in four ways.

• Compare/contrast yields across the three systems.
• Compare/contrast tractor passes across the three systems.
• Compare/contrast key soil health indicators across the three systems (using CASH tests and IFSHAs).
• Gather qualitative data and photo documentation to create case studies for each farm.

This project seeks to generate knowledge that will allow farmers to make informed management decisions when trialing or adopting these organic tillage reduction practices.